Cinnamon and Nutella
by KaitLovesLinstead
Summary: Hey everyone! This will be a Manstead fan-fiction! Do remember: it's my first one, so I would appreciate all of the feedback I can possibly get! I want to thank you all for your patience in regard to my previous upload. I was made aware of the formatting issues, and I immediately fixed the problem. I really hope you like it! Disclaimer: I do not own NBC or any of the characters!
1. Chapter 1

**After a hard day at the hospital, the two doctors wanted nothing more than to go home and get off of their feet.**

"Bye, Will."  
"Bye, Nat. Have a good night."

Despite flashing a quick smile, Will knew that something was bugging Natalie's mind. He could see it in her eyes and hear it in her voice, and he knew what was causing her to be so shelled up. He couldn't imagine taking on the weight of the world, and it broke him to know that tonight, she was. He watched her as she shifted her eyes to the ground, turned away, and disappeared into the night.

* * *

A special patient came in to the hospital that day after being airlifted, and Natalie was assigned to take care of him.

"Trauma 1, incoming! Natalie, you're on it!"

Natalie grabbed her stethoscope and threw it around her neck as she sprinted to the trauma room. What she saw was far worse than she ever expected. When her eyes met the mangled body of a three year old boy, she felt something deep inside. Something she had never felt before. It was a strong, agonizing fear. He was involved in a car crash while traveling with his mother, who was killed by impact. He flat-lined twice on the scene, and once in the helicopter. After medical personnel struggled to revive him, he was rushed to the Gaffney Chicago Medical Center, the place where Natalie was to stare into the face of her worst nightmare. A little life had just been placed directly into her shaking hands.

"His O2 stats are low, blood pressure is up, and his heart rate is sky high!"  
"April, I need an endotracheal tube and a respirator STAT! Ethan, lay him flat and cut his shirt! I need to preform an EKG to see how hard his heart is working to beat! Too much strain could lead to cardiac arrest!"

Natalie was tackling a hundred tasks a minute. After successfully pressing the endotracheal tube into his throat and hooking up the EKG, her fast pace slowed and it turned into a waiting game.

* * *

Hours passed as the boy remained in stable condition, and Natalie was checking in on him very frequently. She went to the break room to pour a glass of coffee, but before she could even fill her mug, she broke into pieces. Natalie was an experienced doctor—and a damn good one at that. This patient, however, tested every ounce of emotional capacity that she held. His face was unrecognizable. Scars and bruises littered his pale skin. Casts were distributed all the way from his shoulders to his feet. A broken leg, six broken fingers, a snapped shoulder blade, and the list goes on. It made her stomach turn to even think about his body lying there. She had a strong stomach and preformed many surgeries, but this was completely different. She could hardly look at him without feeling sick. The little boy was put into a medically-induced coma to ensure that he wouldn't wake up and try to move. They didn't want him to feel any pain. His frame was so delicate and small, so any risk needed to be eliminated as soon as possible.

In the middle of spilling her heart out, Natalie picked up her head at the sound of sudden shouting. She turned around, and through the glass door, she saw her colleagues rushing into Trauma 1. In that moment, Natalie felt her heart skip a beat. She put her mug down, wiped her eyes in an effort to hide her tears, and ran across the hall to find out what was happening to her most fragile patient.

"Dr. Manning, his O2 stats plummeted and his heart started to flutter. Before we could hook the EKG back up, he flat-lined!" She felt her knees begin to give up on her, but now was not the time. She had to jump into action and fight for his life.

"Starting compressions now! Everyone give me some room!"  
Natalie placed one hand on top of the other and started to press into his lifeless body. Despite being scared of breaking his ribs, she pushed and pushed into him until her arms were shaking. She struggled so hard to bring him back, and it felt like years, but the little boy's heart refused to beat.

"Come on buddy, wake up! Stay strong for me! Come on! You have to fight, okay?" 

**Nothing. No pulse. No breath. No life**. 

Natalie suddenly stopped as April placed her freezing hands on her forearm.

"Natalie...he's gone."

Right on time, Will walked in and saw Natalie standing above the boy's lifeless body. Steady beeps had turned into a single strand of flat lines. The other doctors knew that Will and Natalie were close, so when they turned and saw him standing there, they patted Natalie's back and excused themselves. Will walked across the room and stood beside her. He spoke softly into the silence that surrounded them, hoping that somehow, he could manage to comfort her.

"You did so good, Nat. You really did. The impact was just too—"

Devastated and hopeless, he watched as she turned and ran out of the room at the absence of a fighting chance. What could she have done? Why couldn't she fight harder? A family was going to lose their entire world today, and she felt as though the guilt were in her hands.

Reaching the break room, she stumbled and fell to her knees. She cried forever. She couldn't stop. The despair and shame was hitting her in waves that never eased. Composure was a mystery to her. She stayed there on the floor and felt herself die a little. This was her fault, or so she believed. The other doctors and nurses saw her run into the break room, but they just wanted to give her some privacy.

Suddenly, she heard the door creak open and footsteps move toward her. A strong, yet gentle hand pressed itself onto her back. Will.

"Natalie, I am so sorry."

She completely lost it. Her body finally gave up on her and she fell backwards into the strong figure knelt down behind her. She stayed like that for over a half an hour—crying, blaming herself, thinking her life away, and questioning her abilities as a doctor.

* * *

Once she was able to control her urges to fall apart all over again, Natalie walked back into the Trauma Unit and tried her hardest to keep on going.

"Take as much time as you need, Dr. Manning. Rest that tired mind of yours."

Ignoring Dr. Charles' offer for her to take the rest of the week off, Natalie struggled to make it through the rest of the day. She visited the break room multiple times to cry, and each time, Will was there with his hand softly placed on her back. Natalie wasn't the kind of woman who got personal. Will loved her with everything in him, but he felt as though she was always running away from the possibility of falling in love. He understood why. Natalie had left a severely abusive relationship almost a year ago. She started showing up to work with no makeup, dark circles under her eyes, paperwork in disarray, and tired as ever. It seemed as though she didn't even sleep anymore. Not to mention she started to look like she wasn't getting enough to eat either.

One day during an emergency surgery, April saw a large, purple bruise on her upper arm, one which Natalie clearly tried to hide with makeup. April asked her about it, but Natalie told her that she bumped it on a door frame a few days prior. April knew she wasn't telling the truth, because even before that incident, she came to work with a split lip and claimed that she "fell" while moving boxes in her apartment. Will never understood why she didn't tell someone or try to leave, but to be fair, he never could grow the courage to tell her that his door was always open, and that all she had to do was walk in it. He just wanted her to be safe and out of pain. At his place, he knew she would be. It hurt him more than he could ever describe to see her looking so run down and depressed. She wasn't herself anymore. She didn't smile, she didn't laugh, and she didn't make hilarious jokes about hospital mishaps anymore. He was at a point where he didn't know what to do, so instead of being able to hold her close and tell her that she was safe now, he just got her breakfast and brewed coffee every morning. A kind gesture that could set the tone for her whole day. At first, she was resistant, but after a while, hunger and exhaustion took over and she gave in.


	2. Chapter 2

_back to the day of Natalie losing her patient_

* * *

Will arrived at his apartment that night and, with relief, kicked his shoes off of his aching feet. He couldn't stop thinking about what happened in Trauma 1 that day. It was always a challenging scenario—losing a patient. However, Will knew that this was completely different. Natalie used every last ounce of strength she could find in that slender body of hers. She pressed for over 25 minutes, only to lose her little patient the end. She did everything right, but the injuries he sustained were simply too much for his body to handle. He hoped that tonight, as she lay to rest or lay awake, she would realize that.

Will skipped dinner that night. Instead, he went straight to the bathroom to take a shower and brush his teeth. The warm water felt incredible on his skin. After being in a hospital dealing with blood and vomit all day long, showering at the end felt like a piece of heaven. He stepped out, dried off, and slipped on a pair of boxers and grey sweatpants. Forget the shirt, he thought.

He tried so hard to sleep that night. How could sleep come easily when he knew deep inside that tonight, One of the strongest people he knew was laying alone just one block over, facing the fact that her worst fear had just come true—she was "responsible" for the loss of a baby's life. A precious gift placed in her arms, and she felt herself drop it. She blindly searched the ground, feeling for the shattered pieces of him, but they cut her hands and her hope bled out onto the cold tile floor.

"It wasn't your fault," he whispered to himself. 

**It wasn't your fault.**


	3. Chapter 3

Will's phone buzzed and lit up his bedside table. His eyes flashed open, and he turned over to see who could possibly be calling him at this time of the night. **Natalie.** He immediately flicked on the lamp and stumbled to answer her call. He could hear her crying on the other end of the line, and his heart felt like it had dropped through the floor.

"Natalie? Are you okay?"  
"Will...I...no. I'm not okay."  
"What's going on?"  
"My patient—the little boy..."  
"Natalie..."  
"It was all my fault. I didn't do my job. I was entrusted with a sweet, innocent life and I screwed up! Truthfully, I don't know what even happened. All of the sudden I was standing over my patient—someone's child—trying to force his heart to beat! Explain that to me, Will! I should've done something more!"

She began to cry even harder, and Will was at a loss for words. How would he handle such a delicate situation? How would he convince her that it wasn't her fault? He had never seen her like this before. For the first time since he knew her, she actually reached out for help with something very personal to her.

"Do you need me to...do I need to come over?"  
She spoke softly, her voice cracking as she tried to catch her breath. "Please."

* * *

Will left his room and ran out into the cold Chicago night. He didn't even bother grabbing his keys or a coat. He just ran as fast as he possibly could. His lungs were burning and his throat was tightening as he struggled to inhale the cold air, but what hurt more was knowing that his best friend was crying alone in her apartment—blaming herself for something she had no control over. She did her very best to try and save him, and now, he had to help her realize that.

Once he reached her doorstep, he felt both fear and relief. Scared that she would continue to blame herself, but relieved that he could be there for her if she did. Relieved that he could be there at all, and that she would even call him, of all the people she could call.

He already knew where she kept her spare key, so he grabbed it and gently twisted the lock. He entered quietly and was immediately confronted by muffled cries in the other room. Again, his heart shattered into pieces. He crossed over into her bedroom and sees her sitting upright on the bed, in her pajamas, makeup still on her face, but this time, it was smeared down to her jawbone. She sat there in the darkness, her face dimly lit by the lamp on the bedside table. She knew that he was standing there, but she did not turn to face him. Nervous, but determined, Will walked slowly towards her and took a spot beside her feet. Her knees were pulled up and she buried her face into them. She did not want to look up. Part of her was scared of how he would react when he saw her up close—torn apart at the seams and bleeding from her heart. Vulnerable. /br /Without second thought, he placed his hand on the back of her head as she began to sob uncontrollably. He gently ran his hand down her braid and back up again, twisting the end around his fingers. She did not try to push him away or tell him that she was okay, because in all honesty, she knew better than to try to lie to him. He always saw right through her smile, because deep down, he knew there was something hiding behind it.

"What if I would've..."  
"Nat...you did all that you could—"

Before he could even muster out another word, she pulled him in and was crying over his shoulder. She grabbed Will and held him with every tired muscle in her body—and he did the same. He held her as though he'd never be able to do it again. It was then that he realized—he was touching her like he never had before. Running his hand down her neck, holding onto her hips, pressing his chest into hers. He squeezed her body into his and felt her tremble as she tore herself apart.

They stayed like that for what seemed like eternity, and neither of them minded. Natalie knew she could always count on him to come, even at 3a.m, she just never knew it would end up like this. She did not want him to see her this way, but she had no choice. Staying alone all night to face this alone was not an option. He was in her arms, and she was in his. It felt comfortable and right. He held her close to try and take the pain away—or at least give her a reason to forget, if only for a moment. It worked. He kept telling her, "it'll be alright" and "this is not your fault," and before he knew it, she had fallen asleep on his shoulder with dry tears stuck to her face.

This is the moment Will knew—he truly loved her. Not only for her breathtaking beauty, her sharp mind, or her fast-paced way of working, but for her ability to make him feel so alive. She made him feel loved, even if she didn't know it. He didn't ever tell her, though, out of fear that she might start running from him.

Once Will knew that she was sound asleep, he held her by the small of her back and the back of her neck and gently laid her down on the pillow and covered her up. His shirt sleeve, which had absorbed all of Natalie's tears, felt cold against his skin. He loved every second of it. A piece of her was stuck to him...and it felt just like home.

* * *

Instead of quietly sneaking out and going back to his apartment, Will decided to stay awake at her bedside until the morning sun crept into the window, just in case her fears awoke her within the rest of the early morning. She didn't deserve to have to face the darkness alone. That had already happened far too many times. To Will's surprise, Natalie was able to make it through the rest of the morning. He sat awake beside her all morning long, being as careful as he could not to touch her. He wasn't sure if she'd mind.

Will hadn't slept in over 36 hours due to long shifts and sleepless nights. He didn't care at all about himself. Making sure that Natalie felt comfortable enough to sleep was motivation for him to keep pushing He was looking across the room and out of the icy window when he heard her start to stir. Still seated beside her in the creaky wooden chair, he watched as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and opened them up. Those big, breathtaking brown eyes that he never had the privilege of looking in to. Her coffee-colored eyes met his in the middle of the morning sun, and a look of surprise swept across her face.

"Will...did you stay there all morning long?"  
"Maybe..."

A beautiful, bright smile spread across her face. Without being able to hide it, he mirrored her reaction. That was what he had been waiting for—a drop of happiness to peek through her sadness. A sweet smile stretched itself across his skin too. He swore to himself that when she smiled, it lit up the entire room. Today, that theory was confirmed. Her smile equaled a thousand sunrises. It was brighter than the stars and stronger than he ever could have ever fathomed. He never thought something as simple as a smile could make him feel this.

 **He really loved her, and he hoped she knew that.**


	4. Chapter 4

"Well good morning, sunshine."

She rested there in front of him with her messy hair, silky bedclothes, and smeared makeup from last night's tornado of grief. She looked up at him and smiled before turning to place her feet on the floor.

"Are you hungry?"  
"A little."

She was hungry, there was no doubting it, but she was so tired and upset about the day before that she didn't even want to get up. Without Will there, she knew that she would've laid there in her empty bed until she disappeared.

Will already knew where everything in Natalie's house was.

"Cinnamon and Nutella toast?"/p

No response. Confused, he paused and looked up at her, and her eyes met his with a questionable look.  
"How did you know?"  
"You're Natalie Manning, that's how."

She looked at him in awe. He paid attention to little details like that? For a moment, she felt his eyes burn into her as she smiled at looked down at the floor, trying so hard to hide it. He watched as she made her way across the living room and into the kitchen. She took her place at the bar, pulling one leg up and running her fingers through her hair. She was still looking down, and he was looking at her with dreamer's eyes. She looked up and her gaze met his. He didn't look away. He just smiled.

"What?" Her voice sounded giggly and friendly.  
"Nothing...I just...nothing."

She looked at him from across the room with pure wonder in her eyes. Noticing her gaze, he grinned at her, shook his head, and turned back towards the counter. She sat for a little while longer before he walked over and placed the toast in front of her.

 _There's that smile_ , he thought to himself.

"Thank you so much, Will."  
"It's my pleasure."

He made four pieces of toast, just in case she hadn't eaten since yesterday (sometimes, that happened), but she absolutely insisted on splitting it with him.

"You were the one who stayed up all night watching out for me. It's the least I can do."  
He tried to refuse, as he wanted her to eat _something_...but she wouldn't budge. He eventually gave in and accepted half.

Taking a seat next to her, the two of them ate quietly until they were both finished. He stole glances at her through the little bit of distance between them, and he was struck each time by her simple, natural beauty.

"This is incredible."  
"I'm really glad you like it! Do you want some coffee?"  
"Always!" She laughed a little after noticing that she'd basically been living on coffee for the last few weeks.  
"Black with light creamer, right?"

She glanced up at him and he looked right back at her. He really cared. He knew where her house key was, how to calm her down when she was upset, he knew what her favorite breakfast was and how she liked her coffee...he came to her house in the middle of the cold night because he cared _that much_.

"You really pay attention, don't you?"  
"I do. Every single—"

Before he could even finish his sentence, Natalie leaned over to his body and pressed her lips gently into his. They were soft, warm and inviting, tender and sweet. They were filled with passion and love. She stood up and took a step to position herself in-between his legs. Placing her hands on either of his knees, she kissed him softly and he did it right back. She pulled back and stared at him for a minute, and then dove back in—this time more passionate than the first time. Never in a million years would he have thought he would be able to see her like this or feel her body so close to his. It was small and warm in his hands. She fit _perfectly_. She wrapped her tongue around his and he returned the favor. Despite his growing passion, he was hesitant and nervous, because he didn't want to push her away or come on too strong. He was still unsure of how to react to the situation, but for some reason, it didn't feel strange _at all_. It felt comfortable... _ **perfect**_. It felt like it wasn't the first time, and rather the millionth time. Was this really happening? Was he dreaming?

He didn't want to do anything to hurt her, and really, he never knew she had such feelings for him. Often times, he felt as though it were a one-way street, and he was the only one following it...but now he knew. Even though he'd thought that he was the only one in love, he continued to fall more and more in love with her each passing day.

As it turns out, he wasn't the only one after all. Natalie was so precious and delicate to him, so he promised himself that absolutely no damage was to be done. He would never, ever hurt her.

This was everything he could've ever dreamed of. A seemingly impossible victory. Sitting in Natalie's kitchen, holding onto her sleep-deprived body, his hands wrapped around her tiny waste. She had seemed so closed-off and protected. Untouchable. Private. Reserved. Now, he was seeing a whole other side of her, and still, he could hardly believe what was happening.

They kissed for a lifetime. Somehow they managed to make their way to her couch and rest themselves upon it. He had kissed her once before in the break room, because on that day, his feelings for her completely took over. She kissed him back and didn't pull away, but she admitted that she "wasn't in that place yet."

 _ **He was willing to wait.**_

Today, sitting in her cozy kitchen, entangled in each other, they'd finally found _that place_. They were here together in her apartment, exhausted bodies pressed together, comfortable in pajamas and sweat pants, bare feet wrapped around each other. Their hair wasn't combed, and her mascara was a mess, but all he could see was this beautiful woman who had once been _so_ distant that he felt like he'd never find her.

They laid there for hours, entangled in each other's beings, her leg thrown over his and his arm draped over her waist. It felt so incredible and meant-to-be. He could not even come close to processing what was happening. How could he feel so comfortable laying half-naked with his co-worker when he had never touched her like this before?

After thinking about it, he remembered that to him, she was so much more than just a "co-worker." Natalie was his best friend. She was his rock as his entire heart. She knew him like nobody else did, helped with his patients, gave him helpful advice, shared breakfast with him at the hospital, checked up on him, and asked if he was okay multiple times a day. He couldn't understand why he was just realizing these little hints, but it didn't even matter anymore. He was exactly where he had always wanted to be. The woman he loved finally decided to love him back.

Boy, did he love her.

* * *

Eventually, they fell asleep holding onto each other, pressed tightly together and so in love.

Will still couldn't figure out how he'd made it here, but all he cared about was that it finally happened.

 _ **For once in a blue moon, they both slept peacefully.**_


End file.
